DONEGAL should be deserted this Friday in order to emphatically drive the message home to government that people here will not settle for anything less than 100% redress for their crumbling homes which were built with defective blocks through no fault of their own.

That was the message from Michael Doherty, PRO of the Mica Action Group yesterday.

He told the Donegal News that “anyone that is mobile should be there and there are no excuses not to be there”.

“Friday’s protest march in Dublin is as critical as it gets for this campaign. If we don’t all go looking for it on Friday, October 8, it will not happen. We need all of the feet on the street.

“Government are looking to see how they can detract from our campaign and have even used dirty tricks. Like Leo Varadkar telling tax payers they will be paying for mica affected houses. Government did not look for our permission to bail out the banks. They floated a figure of E500,000 as a cap then dropped it down to E350,000 and got a reaction because that would leave 40 per cent of home owners behind. They are kite flying and have been for some time. They talk about Donegal home owner’s mansions. They implied big houses and people living above their means,” Michael said.

He called on all of the people who like and send messages of support to the social media sites to get their feet on the street on Friday when it really matters.

“Ultimately it is a political decision and we need to show this government that it is a massive, massive deal and we are not happy. There is still room for massive improvement in the scheme. If we don’t show the demand for it on Friday it will not happen,” he added.

Go big or Go Homeless

“The slogan Go Big or Go Homeless is really what it is all about. That is the choice. There are people who will never be in the position to replace their own homes. There is only so much we can do as campaigners to help everyone. We all have to help ourselves and make your way to Dublin for midday on Friday at the Garden of Remembrance. This march will be watched by the eyes of the world and all of us cannot let the campaign down now.

“Sorting our homes should be a straight forward right and they have made it so complicated now. It is easier to get a better guarantee when buying a toaster than buying a house now. You build a house and it is the biggest investment of your life and the most valuable asset and there is nothing by way of security. What is happening to our homes is not our fault.

“We need everyone in Dublin on Friday to get this sorted,” he stressed.